Legal Commentary

Obama's Phony Ban On Lobbyists

By Big Tent Democrat

As someone who always thought President Obama's (and then Presidential candidate John Edwards') rhetoric on lobbyists was so much nonsense, I am not at all surprised to learn this:

Mr. Obama's nominee for deputy secretary of defense, William Lynn, has been a lobbyist for the defense contractor Raytheon, and his nominee for deputy secretary of health and human services, William V. Corr, lobbied for stricter tobacco regulations as an official with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. A senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, conceded the two nominees did not adhere to the new rules. . . .

So much for the ban on lobbyists. As Robert Schlesinger writes:

I thought Obama's sweeping condemnation of lobbyists was better campaign rhetoric than policy. The reality is that some lobbyists are as nefarious as advertised and some are not. Some want to turn their public service into big bucks and some turn around and help what we liberals would call good causes. And oh yeah: Many have experience that could be helpful for a new administration trying to enact its agenda.

The entire episode was total BS imo and any one who bought the nonsense deserves what they get as they were being willfully blind.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 24, 2009 (boomark / email).